8. Drains your lymphs and boosts immunityWhen you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells).

9. Ups your heart rateWhen you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you lower your risk of heart attack and can relieve depression.

15. Helps you focusAn important component of yoga is focusing on the present.

16. Relaxes your system Yoga encourages you to relax, slow your breath, and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (or the fight-or-flight response) to the parasympathetic

17. Improves your balanceRegularly practicing yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves

18. Maintains your nervous systemSome advanced yogis can control their bodies in extraordinary ways, many of which are mediated by the nervous system.

19. Releases tension in your limbsDo you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen?

20. Helps you sleep deeperStimulation is good, but too much of it taxes the nervous system. Yoga can provide relief from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

21. Boosts your immune system functionalityAsana and pranayama probably improve immune function, but, so far, meditation has the strongest scientific support in this area.

22. Gives your lungs room to breatheYogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient.

23. Prevents IBS and other digestive problemsUlcers, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation – all of these can be exacerbated by stress.

24. Gives you peace of mindYoga quells the fluctuations of the mind,

25. Increases your self-esteem Many of us suffer from chronic low self-esteem. If you handle this negatively – take drugs, overeat, work too hard, sleep around –

26. Eases your painYoga can ease your pain. According to several studies, asana, meditation, or a combination of the two has reduced the pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic conditions.

27. Gives you inner strengthYoga can help you make changes in your life. In fact, that might be its greatest strength.

28. Connects you with guidance Good yoga teachers can do wonders for your health.

30. Builds awareness for transformationYoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger.

31. Benefits your relationshipsLove may not conquer all, but it certainly can aid in healing.

32. Uses sounds to soothe your sinusesThe basics of yoga -asana, pranayama, and meditation -all work to improve your health, but there’s more in the yoga toolbox.

33. Guides your body’s healing in your mind’s eyeIf you contemplate an image in your mind’s eye, as you do in yoga nidra and other practices, you can effect change in your body. Several studies have found that guided imagery reduced postoperative pain, decreased the frequency of headaches, and improved the quality of life for people with cancer and HIV.